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POSTED: 9:46 pm CDT October 2, 2011
UPDATED: 8:17 am CDT October 3, 2011
church said something that should be a symbol of love has been adopted and abused by gang influences.

A sixth-grade girl said she was told that she can't wear a necklace that resembles a rosary because it violates the dress code at the Fremont Public Schools.

Elizabeth Carey, 12, said the school adopted a policy last year banning the necklaces.

"The principal said I couldn't wear my necklace at all because gangsters were wearing it," she said.

She said the necklace is part of an outfit that she hopes expresses her faith.

"I'm wearing a cross necklace, a cross T-shirt and a cross bracelet," she said. "I'm thinking of how Jesus died on the cross and how he gave up all his sins for us."

Superintendent Steve Sexton said the policy is for student safety.

"We had information from law enforcement that there were documented instances of gang activity in the area and we had information that states that the rosary was being used as a symbol of gang affiliation," Sexton said.

He said rosaries have been used as gang-identification symbols in Oregon, Arizona and Texas.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyesAnd clever in their own sight! Isaiah 5:20-21 NASB

I'm not a catholic, but isn't it considered disrespectful to wear the rosary as a necklace? She still gets to wear her shirt with the cross on it, so I think the school is not discriminating against religious symbols in general.

Gangs, especially latino gangs, wear rosaries as necklaces. So do the goth kids.

The simple solution would seem to be a uniform with no jewelry at all.

But if we do that, then how long will it be before the gangs adopt the public school uniform?

Let the little girl wear the rosary if she wants to. If gangs are a problem in the school, then do something about it. Trying to eliminate gangs by dress codes seems to generate more animosity in the general public than it does anything resembling discipline.

That being said, I do support mandatory school uniforms for other reasons.

While you were hanging yourself , on someone else's words
Dying to believe in what you heard
I was staring straight into the shining sun

They can't in Detroit Public Schools. They now have uniforms, and the parents are thrilled. The kids hate it, though.

Back in the 90s, when I worked Delinquency, the gangs used team logos and colors for their identification. The Latin Counts wore Chicago Bulls (red/black) shirts and jackets, the Cobras wore Celtic things, and so on. I haven't worked in that program, so my gang knowledge is not current.

Interestingly enough, one of the local high schools' (Kettering) traditional color is the one I call "Crip Blue". So the school shirts and athletic uniforms, totally by accident and the cluelessness of teachers/administrators, reflect the gang that rules that particular area. The color, though, has been that school's color since the 60s, long before the east side Crips came along.

It's not preventing her from expressing her faith. It's an admission that the school has lost control of the students and the gangs are in charge.

It's an admission that the neighborhood and the cops have lost control and that the gangs are in charge of everything, including the schools. Gangs are a cancer and a curse, and they live off the drugging of American teenagers. They destroy everything in their path.

The fact is, the gangs are so violent, so barbaric and the left so sympathetic and feeling, that the gangs have control just about everyplace they are.

I often wondered with our War on Drugs why these gangs have been allowed to continue doing their business. Trillions have gone to that war and the gangs have slowly eroded formerly livable inner city neighborhoods. That's not just politics: something is really wrong with the War on Drugs.